Music Paper: Beethoven

Beethoven’s Life On December 17, 1770, an amazing composer, Ludwig van Beethoven, was born. According to the “Enjoyment of Music” textbook, Beethoven was born in Bohn, Germany. His father, along with his grandfather, was both singers at the court of the local prince, Max Friedrich. (Forney & Machlis 197). It was exposed that Beethoven, at an extremely young age, was forced to have to support his mother and two younger brothers due to his father’s constant drunkenness. Not even at the age of maturity yet, Beethoven was the assistant organist in the court chapel. A single year later, he advanced to become the harpsichordist in the court orchestra. A talented young man, Beethoven was privileged enough to perform for the infamous Mozart at the tender age of seventeen. Mozart too noticed that this young man was unusually gifted, commenting to his friends, “keep an eye n him- he will make a noise in the world some day”. And that, he surely did. Beethoven did do what he had originally set out to do though. He was more than able to support his mother and brothers with handsome payments for lessons or gifts, given to him by the music-loving aristocracy. He also got money by performing concerts and writing and publishing his music. Then, the most horrible thing that can happen to a musician happened to him; he began to lose his sense of hearing. His first symptoms occurred in his early twenties and he started to feel alone in the world, and inadequate. He personally felt the blow perhaps even more hard than he should have because he felt that hearing was the sense that was almost owed to him in a way; he felt that that was the sense that was supposed to be superior to the others to say the least, and it was supposed to be much sharper and developed for him, who trained his hearing to the sound of music, than for a common man. Later, Beethoven realized that art must have given him the happiness that life withheld; so he fought his way back to health. At the height

Bibliography: • Forney, Kristine, and Joseph Machlis. "The Enjoyment of Music". 10th . NYC, New York; Wells Street, London: W. W. Norton & Company Inc., 2007. 197-205. Print. • Wikipedia contributors. "Symphony No. 9 (Beethoven)." Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, 4 Dec. 2010. Web. 10 Dec. 2010. • Wikipedia contributors. "Symphony No. 7 (Beethoven)." Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, 27 Nov. 2010. Web. 3 Dec. 2010.